Put Pen To Paper - It's National Handwriting Day

While browsing around CNN's website I came across an article about an unofficial holiday I had no idea existed, apparently today January 23rd is "National Handwriting Day".  Well of course this piqued my curiosity, so me being me I had to do a little research.


The observance was started in 1977 by The Writing Instrument Manufactures Association - this Association was also something I had no idea existed - and the date was chosen as it's the birthday of John Hancock who was the first to sign the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

What I've been able to gather is the whole idea is to get everyone to pick up a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and write something by hand. Now I know there are many of you who remember a time when people actually wrote letters, thank you notes and invitations by hand and then mailed - good old "Snail Mail" - them.

Now don't get me wrong, I think the technology today is great but I also feel that somethings like writing or actually talking to someone on the phone is becoming a lost art. In fact I read in the CNN article that teaching cursive writing in school is no longer mandated. Oh well, I guess this is just one more of those things that when mentioned will cause our grandchildren to look at us like we've got three heads.

Just in case you still occasionally like using a pen or pencil to write with I'd like to mention a shop located in New York called CW Pencil Enterprise,  I read about this store in a current issue of Better Homes & Gardens.

Now I don't know about you but I thought a pencil was just a pencil until visiting their web-site. This is when I discovered that there are an amazing amount of different types of pencils out there used for a variety of different things, there are even Antique pencils available.

I'd also like to mention that even though a majority of the writing I do for this blog is typed using my laptop I do have notebooks that I write ideas in, I even have a favorite pen.

So why not pick up an old fashioned writing tool and jot something down on paper, even if it's nothing more than your "John Hancock".